


The World According To Chris

by Musical_Fangirl089



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, StarKid Productions RPF, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Becky is in her early 20's and still in med-school and home for the holidays, Carrie: The Musical References, F/F, F/M, From TGWDLM to BF, I get why he died but still, I love Ethan, I love Starkid, It's plot relevant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:21:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23216920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musical_Fangirl089/pseuds/Musical_Fangirl089
Summary: Christina Canigula is one of the popular kids. She’s rich, feared and hot. Her life may seem perfect, because it is. At least according to everyone but her older sister, Regina.Chris’ world began to fall apart the minute Alice, her best friend since diapers, had to move to Clivesdale a few years ago. Now, with the world ending via a virus that makes people sing and dance, Chris’ worldview dramatically shifts as she takes refuge with people she’d never spend time with otherwise and rightfully hate her guts.
Relationships: Alice/Deb (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Becky Barnes/Original Female Character, Ethan Green/Original Female Character(s), Lex Foster & Ethan Green, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 14





	1. All Your Friends Are Heathens

**Author's Note:**

> So, I saw Black Friday, then I watched TGWDLM and decided I'd write a story connecting them because I can. This is mostly for me to help me cope because self-isolation! I'll be able to write a lot more and I already have a bunch of chapter done so hopefully I actually finish this!

“This place is a dump, you know that right?” Chris asked as she looked around the abandoned warehouse. There were holes in the roof where the late afternoon sun shone through. The paint on the walls was peeling off in places, the actual wall peeling off in others revealing the inner part. The barn-like doors were wide open, one falling off of it’s hinges. There was dust everywhere and the inside was practically empty, save for a few crates and white sheets covering the crates. 

“It has character,” Regina replied. Regina was tall, just a bit taller than two crates stacked on top of each other, with bleach blonde hair stopping at her lower back. Her hair’s roots were her natural dark brown colour, since she wasn’t allowed to dye the roots. Her eyes were emerald green instead of their natural black as well. Her olive skin fitting her new features nicely. Her clothes were a lot less stylish than Chris’, a red t-shirt with a grey oversized hoodie and a pair of baggy jeans and black combat boots. “Besides,” Regina continued. “It’s the best place I could afford.”

“Why don’t you just get dad to buy someplace for you?” Chris asked, sitting on one of the crates. She was shorter, just over a head shorter than Regina, with her dark brown hair curled and stopping at her shoulder. Her black eyes were gazing around the dusty, old building warily. Her clothes were trendy, a chic white top with black skinny jeans and a pair of black ankle boots. She also had a pair of sunglasses resting on top of her head with crystals decorating them. 

“I’m not taking dad’s money, Chris,” Regina told her little sister. “I don’t need his help. Besides, this place could totally be a cool hang-out spot, right? You’d bring your friends here.”

“To my sister’s job?” Chris scoffed. “No thank you. But if you didn’t work here then hell yeah. Just not right now.”

“Obviously not right now.” Regina took a breath and looked around, eagerly envisioning what her cafe/restaurant would end up looking like. “But one day. And I’m not gonna stop working until I get it. Just you wait Chrissy, people are gonna flock here and dad’s gonna eat his words.”

“You’re really hung up about that, aren’t ya?” Chris teased lightly, swinging her legs with her elbows resting on her knees as her hands supported her head. 

“Hey, it’s not my fault he told his workaholic daughter that she can’t achieve her dreams.”

“He didn’t say that-”

“Maybe not exactly, but the sentiment was there.”

“He didn’t want you getting hurt. Dad’s been nothing but great to us ever since mom…..you know ....”

Regina sat next to Chris, letting her little sister rest her head on her as Regina put an arm around her. “I really hope one day you see the reality,” Regina whispered. “You deserve so much better than what you’re getting.”

“I should….” Chris began, sniffling slightly as she sat up. “Alice wants to meet up before she leaves for Clivesdale tomorrow.”

“Go have fun,” Regina told her gently. “But please stay safe.”

“Don't worry about me, Reggie,” Chris said as they hugged tightly. 

“You’re my little sister,” Regina replied with a chuckle. “It’s my job to worry about you.”

“Hey Allie,” Chris grinned as she hugged her best friend. The park was quiet, with a few kids playing on the swings and such, leaving the main grassland open for Christina and Alice to sit on. On the swings was a twelve year old girl Chris didn’t know, but she did know the boy who was pushing her; Ethan Green. He was one of the school’s ‘rejects’, the poorer kids nobody gave a crap about except Mr. Houston. 

“Tina!” Alice grinned as they sat down. “I missed you this week, where have you been?”

“Hanging out with Tony,” Chris replied, pulling her knees closer to her chest. “I’m not the only one to blame, though. You’ve been hanging out with Deb a lot.”

Alice blushed as Chris nudged her playfully. Alice pushed her back, making Chris stop as Alice hid her face in her hands. 

“It’s nothing to get embarrassed about,” Chris replied with a shrug. “Every teen gets urges.”

“Yo Chris!”

The girls looked behind them to see a tall football playing blonde boy walk up to them with a few other girls in tow. Most were cheerleaders, but all of them were rich or good at pretending to be. Chris stood up and greeted the boy with a kiss. Their faces may have been smushed together, but it was more of a warning to the other girls than anything else. Alice had stood up too, and was smoothing out her dress from behind Chris. 

“What are you doing here, Tony?” Chris asked when they broke apart, but staying close. 

“Heard you were here.”

Chris rolled her eyes and took a step back, putting an arm around Alice who couldn’t have looked more out of place and uncomfortable if she tried. 

“Tony, this is Allie.”

“The infamous good girl,” Tony replied, not even trying to hide how he eyed Alice, only making her more uncomfortable as she tugged her sleeves and shrunk under his gaze. 

“My dad will want me home soon,” Alice muttered. Chris tapped her back with a scoff. 

“You really want to obey daddy?” She asked mockingly. Alice looked at her skeptically, but Chris didn’t stop. “Look, Tony’s having this killer party and you should come. Your last day in Hatchet Field, might as well go out with a bang, right?”

“Tina-”

“Oh my God,” One of the cheerleaders said. Her name was Becca, but Chris couldn’t be sure. Becca pointed at the playground, directly at Ethan and the girl who was now playing in the sand with a bunch of younger kids. “Ethan Green is within 20 feet of children.”

“Do you think he’s giving ‘em weed?” One joked. 

“He’s hanging out with a Middle schooler,” Tony said. “Must be his girlfriend, God knows he could never get anyone older to go out with him.”

“I thought he was a fag,” Another laughed. 

“Guess even the gays have standards,” Another added, making the group roar with laughter. 

Alice looked at the group, pointing and laughing at Ethan. She didn’t know him that well, only sitting next to him in a few classes, but she knew it wasn’t right to pick on him. Especially calling him slurs like they were, and thinking nothing of it. 

Tony picked up a sharp stone and threw it at Ethan, hitting his leg and ripping his pants slightly. He looked up, then glared at the group. He told something to the girl before marching over. Before he could reach them, another one of them grabbed a rock and threw it at him. Then, it was like a tiny snowball had been pushed down a giant white hill. Rock after rock, stone after stone. Somewhere in the chaos, Alice found herself laughing along. She never picked up a rock herself, so it was fine. Right?

When the group finally moved on, Ethan was left on the ground. Red was oozing out of him and the girl he was with rushed over to check on him. The group continued to laugh about it as they walked away. It was quickly gone from their thoughts. 

Not Alice’s though. The image of Ethan’s blood-soaked body in the fetal position, barely moving, as a young preteen girl leant over him, shaking him awake, would be etched into her mind forever. 

She actually laughed. That was the scariest part to her. 

The Canigula household was massive. Everything was white and pristine and big. The living room/kitchen/dining room itself was the size of the school’s swimming pool. There were at least 10 bedrooms, each being an en suite, and that wasn’t even counting the servants quarters. However, being so big, it was easy to feel like you were the only person in the house. Sure, there were servants there 24/7, but Christina still found herself feeling so alone. 

To rectify this, she’d turned herself into a party girl. Life is better when you’re too drunk to remember it, right?

The party was in full swing, mainly taking place in Tony’s living room. It was smaller than Chris’ but still rather large, plenty of room for the 50+ teenagers that were there. 

“Allie!” Chris exclaimed happily, rushing over to greet Alice and Deb as they walked in. “You came! And you brought Deb.” Her joyful tone dropped slightly when she acknowledged Deb, but no one said anything. “Here, have a drink.”

“I don’t drink,” Alice replied. Deb also declined the cup, so Chris shrugged and downed it herself. 

“This is what you do for fun?” Deb asked with a slight scoff. Chris put on a fake smile and led them towards the kitchen, before sitting on the island. 

“Party’s are awesome,” she replied. 

“Yeah, who doesn’t love going to someone else’s house and wrecking the joint?” Deb asked sarcastically, earning a tap from Alice and a warning look. Chris rolled her eyes with a sigh as Tony walked in, followed by some other guys from the football team. 

“Hey babe,” Tony grinned, sitting on the island next to Chris. 

“So what happened at the park today?” One of the footballers asked. 

“Some weirdo happened,” Tony replied, taking a swig of beer. Alice shuffled slightly, beginning to play with the ends of the hair as they continued to talk. “We saw a kid and ended up throwing stones at him,” Tony continued, laughing. “It was so funny! He fell to the floor, probably crying. His preteen girlfriend came over to help him in the end.”

The group began to roar with laughter, minus Deb and Alice. “Tina,” Alice said, shaking her leg. “Are you laughing at Ethan? That was Lex’s little sister.”

“What?” Tony asked, once he calmed down. “Lex Foster? Trailer girl and her retarded sister?”

The group only laughed harder, before Deb stepped in, yelling at them all to shut up. 

“No, no they’re right,” Chris told them, as everyone began calming down. “It’s not funny. It’s hilarious.”

The group carried on laughing, until Alice rushed off, Chris right behind her. Before Alice could get to the door, Chris grabbed her arm gently. 

“Allie, there’s a runt in every litter,” Chris began to explain. “A nobody. Just so happens our nobody is a group. And Deb...she’s part of that group. The stoners and societal rejects are gonna get this throughout their lives. We’re just preparing them for life.”

Alice almost cried at the amount of honesty on Chris’ face. This was a philosophy she 100% believed. 

“Guess what? Ever since the world began,” Chris continued. “Everyone’s been dumping on their fellow man. I know you want to believe that everyone has an equal shot at life but that’s just not true. Think of it this way, better to hurt than get hurt, right?”

“But that’s not how it has to be,” Alice replied, begging her best friend to listen. “It doesn’t cost anything to be kind.”

“Oh my God, are you some kind of alien?” Chris laughed. “What’d you do with my best friend? Tony, tell her.”

“She’s right. In every class there’s a dick who manages to pass whilst I’m stuck retaking my senior year. So what’s so wrong with getting my revenge good and early? Huh?”

“Can you believe her?” Deb asked as Chris and Tony moved to grab refills. “How are you friends with her?”

“I’ve known her all my life,” Alice replied. “I’ve never seen her act like this. Like that. Deb, it was horrible, what I did was horrible! They just kept throwing them, hit after hit, laughing. I laughed. We only stopped when he hit the floor.”

Deb wiped the tears from Alice’s eyes with a small smile. “Everyone was doing it-”

“That’s not an excuse. Not for me. I just wish there was some way to lift this weight off my chest."

“Apologise, maybe?”

“Deb, you’re a genius!” Alice smiled, pecking her on the lips. The girlfriends left the party unnoticed, and the party raged on. Chris didn’t feel any moment of calm until she woke up from the sound of a large crash outside. Tony was lying next to her, snoring loudly. Carefully, she grabbed her phone and put it on charge, seeing a text from Alice, wishing her a good night's sleep. She let out a soft scoff. 

“Allie doesn’t know what she’s saying,” She told herself. “She’s too naive. No one dies from scars.” Involuntarily, Chris touched the inside of her elbow, she shook her head and fell back asleep to the sound of heavy rain against the window.


	2. Flash Mob

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris' normal day goes astray when there's a flashmob on her way to school.

Chris headed to school by herself. She knew that if she got another late she’d get hell from Regina. And whilst she didn’t care much about getting yelled at, Regina wouldn’t, she’d just be dissapointed. And something about her older sister just sighing, shaking her head and looking away nawed at her in a way she despised.

So, she walked down the street, alone. She had her own set of clothes at Tony’s house. His mother, Linda, adored Chris and thought of her like her own daughter simply because Chris was nice to her.

The street wasn’t too full up, but what caught Chris’ eye was the two kids jumping around, doing midair splits. She recognised them from her school, but she didn’t know their names. Chris tapped a lady on the shoulder who worked for Greenpeace.

“Do you-”

“ _Hey!_ ” She began singing at Chris. There was no music, yet she still sounded perfectly on pitch. “ _Just a typical day. It’s got me feeling in a beautiful way. No rhyme or reason. We could sing a duet_.”

“No.”

“ _Dance a style or two. Or I’ll make you a bet. Just a smile will do. Sometimes I just wanna shout on top of roofs and mountain tops that all the world is paved in gold. Yesterday was retroactive. Got myself a new perspective. I strut it up and down the road._ ”

As she sang, the people around her and Chris began dancing, with the Greenpeace girl joining in.

“ _So I throw out my worries, and my old skin away, doing what I want to on this la-dee-dah-dah-day!_ ”

“ _La-dee-dah-dah,_ ” They all began singing around Chris. “ _La-dee-dah-dah, la-dee-dah-dah, la-dee-dah-dah-day. La-dee-dah-dah-day! La-dee-dah-dah. La-dee-dah-dah. La-dee-dah-dah-day. La-dee-dah-dah-day!_ ”

“What the fuck?” Chris asked, pulling her bag over her shoulders and looking around nervously.

“Spare change for the homeless?” An older man in a giant trench coat asked her.

“No,” She replied nervously.

“Hey, that’s alright,” He replied, beginning to walk off, before stopping. “ _‘Cause I may not have a home._ ”

“Dammit!” Chris cursed, seeing him begin to sing and dance with everyone else.

“ _I used to want to kill them all. High on bathsalts, zombie-drugs. Snacking on a dead man’s face._ ”

The homeless guy stopped, staring at Chris’ face with no emotion. “....what?” She squeaked out.

“ _But that just feels like yesterday. This song takes all the pain away. My politics and house-views changed! Dancing on the concrete, used to hurt a lot. But now I’ve got new feet. And this jams just way too hot!_ ”

“ _La-dee-dah-dah,_ ” The group of strangers began to sing. “ _La-dee-dah-dah, la-dee-dah-dah, la-dee-dah-dah-day. La-dee-dah-dah-day! La-dee-dah-dah. La-dee-dah-dah. La-dee-dah-dah-day. La-dee-dah-dah-day!_ ”

“Look, I am genuinely concerned here,” Chris began. “I just want to get to school-”

“ _Do you wanna save the planet!?_ ” The Greenpeace girl asked.

“ _Of course you want to save the planet,_ ” Everyone else sang, harmonising to a melody Chris couldn’t hear.

“ _Do you want to save the planet?_ ”

“ _There’s just one way you can do it. By singing a song. By singing along!_ ”

Before they could continue, Chris rushed off to school. Their harmonies were echoing behind her. For the first time ever, she felt relieved when the red brick building came into view. Her mind was racing, hearing others sing the melody from the chorus perfectly. She shook her head, she was imagining things. Everything was fine, just a weird morning. She must’ve taken something weird the previous night.

“Hey!” Came a female voice. She looked up to see Lex Foster glaring at her. “You can’t just assault my best friend then shove past him the next day. No matter how rich you are.”

Chris looked around, most students were ignoring it, but off to the side behind Lex was Ethan, leaning against the row of lockers.

“Are you even listening to me!?”

“I don’t have time to deal with you,” Chris muttered out, shoving past Lex and heading to her homeroom. She could hear Lex calling after her, before it was silenced by something. Chris couldn’t care less what it was.

She slid into her seat and could already feel her eyelids drooping. Before she knew it, she was walking into the cafeteria and sitting next to Tony.

“Hey Chris,” Tony smiled down at her. Something about him seemed off to her, something in his voice. She looked at him, noticing his eyes were blue. A really light blue.

“Did you get contacts or something?” Chris asked him. The table laughed and Alice scooted next to her. “Hey, Allie. I thought you went to Clivesdale.”

“I got in an argument and wanted to hang out with Deb,” Alice whispered, eyeing the group nervously. “But something’s off.”

“What do you mean?”

“Chris!” One of the cheerleaders, a blonde girl with a massive grin, shoved her way between Alice and Chris. “Haven’t seen you all day.”

“Hey….”

“Becca-”

“Becca!” Chris exclaimed, pretending to have known the entire time. “I was talking to Alice-”

“That weirdo, please.”

“She’s my best friend,” Chris replied. She glared at Becca, which was when she noticed the light blue eyes. They were exactly the same as Tony’s. “What’s up with your eyes?”

“Perfection, Chrissy,” Tony told her. “You can join us, it’ll be great.”

“What are you talking about?” Chris asked, standing up with Alice.

“ _Guess what?_ ” Becca began singing. “ _Ever since the world began, same plot, everyone’s been dumping on their fellow man. Pounding people they feel better than.”_ She did a twirl to face Alice with a smile, her arms folded. _“I hope you’re taking notes ‘cause you feel everyone deserves a shot. Get real, some of us have got it, girl and some got squat. That’s the truth. Oh honey, like it or not. I hate to break it to you._ ”

Alice looked at Chris, clear fear in her eyes. Something was very very wrong with the world and it was starting to scare them both. Before Chris could do anything, Becca turned to face her.

“ _Your daddy taught us, you get nowhere being nice. So now we’re sharing his advice! The world according to Chris-_ ”

Tony and another football player lifted Chris seamlessly onto the table, with Alice scrambling up as everyone began dancing around the table as Becca stood on one of the chairs, singing.

“ _Better to strike than get struck. Better to screw than get screwed. You'd probably think it’s bizarre. But that’s the way things are!_ ”

“But it doesn’t have to be that way,” Alice said as Chris held onto her arm. “What does it cost to be kind?”

“Allie,” Chris whispered. “I don’t think now is the time for moral arguments.”

“Tony!” Becca grinned at Chris’ boyfriend. “Tell me, am I right? Or am I right?”

“ _I swear there’s a dick in every class. No fair! Each and every time I fail those losers pass. Everyone of them can kiss my ass!_ ”

Becca turned to Alice with a smirk. “ _You wonder why she loves him_.”

“ _One year, there was this good-looking guy. So queer. And on top of that he had a wandering eye. One time he looked at me and -huh!- bye bye._ ”

“ _I bet he got the message._ ”

Tony and Becca got onto the table, eachign standing so that Alice and Chris were stuck in the middle, singing as everyone around them continued dancing to some routine they all knew somehow.

“ _We’re here to tell you how this whole damn freak show works. If you don’t listen then you’re jerks!_ ”

“ _The world according to Chris!_ ” Everyone motioned towards Chris as they all sang, with perfect harmonies. “ _Better to punch than get punched. Better to burn than get burned. Learn that and you’re gonna go far! ‘Cause that’s the way things are!_ ”

“ _Ha! Na na na na na na na!_ ” Becca began singing, doing her own small routine before everyone joined it. Chris and Alice jumped off the table and began leaving the cafeteria. Before they could leave Becca and Tony stopped them.

“ _I can tell you’re feeling sad,_ ” Becca sang, before everyone else around them joined in.

“ _Boo hoo! So we clobbered Ethan and it’s too damn bad!_ ”

“ _This is why you gotta love your dad,_ ” Becca continued.

“ _He’s got the right idea!_ ”

“ _Your daddy taught us who’s on top and who’s below,_ ” Becca sang, grabbing Chris. “ _And now it’s time we let them all know! The world according to Chris!_ ”

“Let go of me!” Chris yelled, elbowing Becca and dragging Alice, the both of them making a break for it as the group chased them, their vocal layering as they sang “ _The world according to Chris._ ” hearing her own philosophy made Chris feel something in her guilt, the same feeling she got whenever Regina just sighed at her.

They closed the door inside the choir room, finding Lex there. She turned around and faced Alice and Chris, only for them to see her crystal blue eyes.

“ _The world according to Chris,_ ” She began to sing, slowly walking over to them. “ _Better to whip than get whipped. Even if somebody bleeds, please. Nobody dies from a scar. And that’s the way things-_ ”

There was a loud clang. Lex fell to the floor as Ethan stood over her, holding a symbol and breathing heavily. “I just did that….”

“Thank you!” Alice exclaimed, rushing over to hug him in her sort of euphoria state.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Chris asked him as he stood there awkwardly, being hugged tightly by Alice. Alice let go and a small girl, no older than twelve, walked out from hiding behind Ethan.

“Black and white,” She muttered. “Bad day. Blue eyes. Singing. Hive mind.”

“Hey, banana,” Ethan said, crouching in front of the girl. “Can you be quiet for me, please? We don’t know if we can trust them, okay?”

“We’re not….them,” Alice said. “We just escaped them.”

“We need to get Lex out of here, then barricade the door,” Chris told them, beginning to hold onto Lex when Ethan stopped her.

“Who put you in charge?”

“What’s your plan then, genius?”

“Stop!” the girl exclaimed, standing between them, pointing at Lex’s slumped body on the floor. “Not Lex. Get her out. We’re not supposed to be near her.”

Ethan crouched down and put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Hannah, that’s your sister-”

“Not Lex,” Hannah said firmly.

“Something’s going on, and we need to stick together if we want to survive,” Chris told them. “It’s apocalypse time in Hatchet Field.”


	3. Once You See Yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan, Alice, Hannah and Chris try to stay hidden whilst they wait fro Alice's dad to save them. But not all of them make it.

Within a few minutes, ‘Not-Lex’ had been dragged outside and the door had been barricaded by the shelves and a few chairs. The windows were locked and the practice room doors were all wide open. Hannah was sat on the teacher’s desk, away from the front door with Ethan standing near her. Ethan was resting on the counter, clearly not over yesterday. Chris and Alice were on their phones in the middle of the room. Chris was only texting, careful not to draw attention to the room. She noticed how Ethan was standing and a lump formed in her throat. He couldn't be that badly off, right? Alice was in a panic and had called her dad.

“It was weirdly scary, me and Tina are safe. We’re in the choir room. Deb was singing out there- what do you mean stay away from Deb-”

“Deb’s gone Allie,” Chris told her firmly, yet there was a clear sadness to her words.

“You’re gonna get us, right? Ethan and Hannah are here too. Ethan’s a kid from here and Hannah’s his….I don’t know but she’s like twelve we can’t leave her. Okay...okay. She is? I’ll tell Tina. See you soon. Love you.”

Chris groaned and was tempted to throw her phone to the ground, but refrained herself. Alice turned to her with a grin. “Regina’s safe. She’s with my dad and his friends in this professor’s house on the outskirts of town. She’s okay and alive.”

“She is!?” Chris exclaimed. Ethan shushed them harshly, causing Chris to glare at him, before hugging Alice tightly.

“We’re getting out,” Alice told her as she let go of Chris. She then turned to Ethan and Hannah. “And you two are coming. We are not leaving you-”

The desks and shelves creaked as they moved every so slightly. From outside, the infected could be heard. One being the unmistakable voice of Deb.

“ _To die_!”

Ethan rushed Hannah into one of the practice rooms as the door kept getting pushed, hit and broken slowly. Chris pulled Alice inside the practice room, but Alice was too distraught at her girlfriend.

“I love her,” Alice said, ripping her arm from Chris with tears in her eyes. “I can get through to her.”

“She’s gone Allie!”

“Leave her,” Ethan said, pulling Chris inside. “If she wants to die, let her.”

“No!” Chris replied as Ethan pulled the door shut, blocking it with his body and motoning for them to be silent.

“ _Sorry to interrupt! But we’ve got bones to pluck. The time for chaos is long past overdue. Death isn’t optional. In fact it’s optimal. Your time is up and now we go through you!_ ”

“Deb! I know you’re in there,” Alice begged. Chris could hear the tears in Alice’s voice and clasped a hand over her own mouth. “I know the girl who loves me is the- Agh!”

Alice’s scream cut through the room, silencing everything.

“ _I know you’re in here, Tina,_ ” Came three voices, harmonising. They were trying to talk normally but clearly couldn’t. “ _Come out and we won’t harm you._ ”

“Paul,” Came a new voice. One Chris knew. There were the sounds of footsteps before silence again. Chris let a few tears slip through, her hand still clasped tightly on her mouth as she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her other arm around them. Hannah tried to give her an awkward hug and Ethan simply stood there against the door, unaware of what to do.

Eventually he slid down to sit with the girls and Hannah let go of Chris.

“What’s your name?” Ethan asked quietly. Chris removed her hand from her mouth and sniffed, looking at him with confusion. “I’ve only ever heard people call you Chris, and Alice called you Tina...what’s your name?”

“Christina Canigula.”

“Ethan Green.”

“Hannah Foster.”

“Nice to meet you guys,” Chris mumbled. “Nice to know who I’m gonna die with.”

“We’re not gonna die,” Ethan said. “Alice’s dad is coming, right? And your sister knows where you are.”

“The school is overrun with the infected. We’re sitting ducks, only a matter of time until we end up like Alice.”

“Why did they want you, specifically?” Ethan asked. Chris simply shrugged in response. The door swung open again, and Bill’s voice came thundering around them.

“Alice!? Alice!? Where are you? Chris?”

“Stop screaming,” Another voice scolded him, one familiar to Chris. “For all we know this place could be swarming with those things. We’re not gonna find Alice or Chris or any of those kids if we’re infected, alright?”

“Yeah,” Bill said, calming down. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“See, we’re saved,” Ethan said, opening the door to see Bill and Paul, Chris and Alice’s old babysitter. Bill looked over and smiled at Chris, but she shook her head as she slowly stood up, her eyes spotting the gun in his hand.

“Chris…? Where’s Alice?” Bill asked. Chris didn’t respond, she couldn’t. There was a lump in her throat as Alice’s scream echoed in her mind. “It’s all my fault-”

“No, Bill. It’s not,” Paul told him.

“Yes it is,” Alice said, walking into the room. “That’s what I thought when they broke down the door. _I’m not your girl anymore. I’m not that tween that you drove here for. I’m not your girl anymore. I overtook her body with an infectious spore._ ”

“Alice, I know it’s you-” Bill began, But Chris pulled him back, gripping his arm in a futile attempt at comfort.

“ _You left me out of your sight for one second and look what happens. Nightmare time! It’s worse than you could’ve imagined. Not sex and not drugs. Just aliens invading minds! No more family vacays together. ‘Cause you’re only daughter is under the weather. And if you actually paid attention to me you’d see I’m not your seed. I’m not your angsty teen._ ”

“Alice, I’m here to take you home,” Bill continued, only getting Chris to pull on his arm more.

“ _No matter what you believe. The apple’s fallen far from the tree! It’s not my fault anymore. No more curfews to be late for. It’s not my fault anymore. No more getting worried and waiting by the door. Did you know that I wanted to live with you?_ ”

Chris pulled Ethan back when she noticed Deb and Becca walking inside. She ended up by Paul, who put a reassuring hand on her shoulder with a nod.

“ _When you needed to fight you gave her that too. Who-oh! Did you know mom let Deb sleep over?_ ”

“What!?” Bill exclaimed as Paul pulled him back.

“ _And you’re right about Deb, she’s a hardcore stoner._ ”

“I knew it-”

“Not the point right now,” Ethan told him.

“ _And if you wonder what led your daughter astray. Well, daddy wasn’t here to stay. I’m not your seed!_ ”

“Alice, whatever I said this morning-”

“ _I’m not our perfect teen._ ”

“I’m sorry. You can break out of this I know-”

“ _I’m fucking seventeen!_ ”

“I know you can!”

“ _At least I was before you left me._ ”

“Bill, we need to go,” Paul told him. “We’ve gotta get ourselves and -more importantly- these kids outta here.”

“Back off Paul!” Bill snapped. “We’re not leaving without Alice!”

“That’s not your daughter,” Ethan tried to tell him. “We’ve all lost people. I lost my best friend, Chris lost all of her friends-”

“Back off kid!”

“ _Why does it hurt to love you? Why am I in pain? Why does it hurt to know you? You let me down again. If I turned my insides out, would you even know that I was there? Why does it hurt to love you? Why does it hurt to care? I’m not your seed!_ ”

“ _Not your girl,_ ” The two other infected students sang. “ _Not your girl!_ ”

“ _Now maybe you’ll listen to me._ ”

“ _Listen to me. Listen to me._ ”

“ _Or you’ll let me bleed!_ ”

“ _Let me bleed!_ ”

“ _Now your daughter’s not a girl no more. Not at all your seed! ‘Cause I’m not your girl anymore._ ”

“I can’t do it Paul,” Bill said, his grip on the gun tightening. “I can’t live without my daughter.”

“Bill,” Paul said, stepping towards him cautiously. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop it.”

“I can’t live knowing I’m the reason they got her.”

“No, I didn’t drag her in the practice room,” Chris said, grabbing the gun to stop Bill from pointing it at himself, her eyes filling with tears again. “It’s my fault, not yours! If I hadn’t have said that dumb crap, trying to impress those assholes. Don’t do anything.”

Bill ignored her, only acknowledging her to fight against her for the gun as he tried to point it at himself. Chris struggled, trying to take the gun away from him, realising it shouldn’t be in any of their hands really.

“Let me die!” Bill begged her. Ethan got between them, snatching the gun off both of them.

“No!” He exclaimed, his back to the infected. He threw the gun down and grabbed Bill’s arm. “No. I didn’t know Alice. I don’t know you. But I do know I wanted to do the exact same thing when Lex started singing and I realised she was gone. But I didn’t because I have Hannah to think about. And you have Paul! And Chris! You can’t hurt yourself because people will care if you’re gone. Life is still worth living even if everyone you want in it isn't there.”

Bang.

Bill fell to the ground with a thud, a dark red blossoming around his shoulder, staining his white collared shirt. Ethan trembled backwards slightly, before being pulled out of the choir room and into the hallway by Chris, who had Hannah in tow. Another gunshot echoed down the hall. They didn’t have to turn back to know Paul wasn’t escaping with them.

“Where are we going?” Hannah asked, desperately trying to keep up with Ethan and Chris.

“I know a back exit through the teacher’s lounge,” Ethan told them, making a sharp turn. They carried on running, before finally stopping in the teacher’s lounge and barricading the door, giving them time to catch their breath before they ran out again.

“ _It is time,_ ” A mysterious voice told them. From the bathroom emerged Ms. Vira and Mr Houston, with Ms. Vira singing. “ _To die!_ ”

“Not again,” Chris groaned as they began to arm themselves.

“ _Sorry to interrupt. But we got bones to pluck. The time for chaos is long past overdue. Death isn't optional. In fact it’s optimal. Your time is up and now we go through you._ ”

“I feel like I’ve heard this before,” Ethan muttered, before trying to wack Mr. Houston, only for him to grab the bar he was holding and yank it out of the teen’s hands.

“ _We tried to convince you in soliloquy,_ ” Ms. Vira sang as she pinned Chris against a wall, her blue eyes almost glowing. “ _But now we’ll kill you with more than harmony! Just die!_ ”

“ _Join us and die,_ ” Ms. Vira and Mr. Houston sang together. “ _Join us and die. Join us and die. All you gotta do it. Join us and die. Join us and die. Join us and die. All you gotta do is-_ ”

Chris headbutted Ms. Vira, before scrambling away. She then kicked Mr. Houston in the back of the knees, sending him tumbling forward so Ethan could escape. Meanwhile, Hannah was curled up in a corner by a window.

“ _Here’s how it's gonna go!_ ” Ms. Vira continued. “ _We’re gonna kick your ass! And then we’re gonna fucking kick your ass._ ”

“ _We’re gonna puke all that goo,_ ” Ms. Vira and Mr. Houston sang. “ _Into your mouth where your food and all your cells will renew and be enhanced!_ ”

“ _It’s a death-like process that you gotta see!_ ” Ms. Vira sang as Mr. Houston harmonised on top. “ _Your own body is your front row seat!_ ”

“ _To die!_ ”

Mr. Houston grabbed Ethan, throwing him to the floor, before doing everything that they sang about. “ _Punch it! Squeeze it! Crush it! Kill it! Ride it! Drag it! Wind it up! Kick it’s nuts!_ ”

“ _Here’s how it’s gonna-_ ”

Mr. Houston fell to the floor, leaving room for Ethan to scramble back to his feet. Ms. Vira turned to Chris, who was holding the metal trash can lid shakily. Ms. Vira sang a really high note and Chris smacked her over the head with the trash can lid too, before dropping it completely.

“I just did that….”

“Thanks,” Ethan muttered, all of them still shaken up. “Mr. Houston was my favourite teacher.”

“He was everyone's favourite,” Chris replied. Ethan looked up at her. “He didn’t judge anybody,” She explained. “Even the popular kids need someone who doesn’t have knee jerk reactions to everything they do. We’re all a clean slate in his class. It’s nice.”

“Gotta go,” Hannah told them.

“She’s right,” Ethan said. They rushed over to an open window. Ethan first helped Hannah out of it, then Chris before pulling himself through. They landed on the pavement and began to run off the school’ campus, only to get stopped by the army.

“Wait!” Chris called out as a military officer with a gun came over to them, hitting them all in the head, knocking them out cold.


	4. A Real Show Stopper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina and Chris reunite with some tragic reprocussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is pretty long and pretty heartwrenching to strap in!

The first thing Ethan could remember was Chris’ panicked face as she tried to beg the army men to listen to her. Her grip on Hannah’s arm wasn’t enough to hurt her, but clearly showed she didn’t want the young girl taken away from her. Weird, in one day he had learnt more about some rich popular bitch than he ever did.

He remembered her tear stained cheeks, her wide brown eyes and she stood over two teachers, holding the trash can lid, knowing she could’ve just killed them both. It was clear to see the fear in her eyes, swirling with confusion and adrenaline, causing chaos.

Then his eyes fluttered open. The light was blinding, pure white light like in an interrogation room. He tried to move his hands up to shield his eyes, but found them stuck. Strapped to the back of his chair.

“....Ethan…..?” Came a drawled out voice. It was quiet, and too young sounding to be Chris’ voice. “I’m scared.”

Ethan found Hannah’s hand, which was also strapped to her chair, and squeezed it.

“I know Banana,” He replied, his voice deeper than usual from just waking up, slowly going back to his regular voice. “I am too. But we’ll get through this. I promised Lex I’d get you out of Hatchet Field, didn’t I?”

“Wha…..?” Chris stirred, trying to move to find her hands stuck too. “What the fuck? Where am I?”

“We don’t know.”

“Ethan….? Wait.” Chris began to remember the events of that day. “Is Hannah okay? Have you heard singing?”

“We’re fine,” Ethan told her. “Well….as fine as we can be. We’ve not heard singing-”

“Good,” A man wearing black army gear walked into the room, smoking a cigarette. “You’re awake.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Chris snapped. “We’re kids! We just want to get out and survive. Hannah’s twelve for fucks sake! Just let us go!”

“I’m sorry for the knock on your heads,” He told them, walking over and untying their hands. “You can never be too careful. What are your names?”

“Ethan Green,” Ethan said, his voice back to normal, as he rubbed his wrists.

“Hannah Foster,” She added, bringing her feet onto the chair and hugging her knees.

“Christina Canigula. Now let us go!”

“My name is General McNamera,” The army guy told them, stepping away once all their hands were free. “United States Military secret service special unit P.E.I.P. We call it peep.”

“Never heard of you guys,” Ethan said, dragging his chair around so they could all see the General.

“And you never will,” He replied. “Not a peep.”

Ethan glanced around, slightly confused. Chris glared at the man. Hannah hugged her knees and begged for Webby to save them.

“That was a joke,” General McNamera told them. “We have the unenviable task of cleaning up messes of a certain nature. Not unlike what we have here in Hatchet Field.”

“This has happened before?” Chris asked, her voice dangerously level. Ethan had heard her voice like it before, right before she would snap at some poor soul who dared annoy her on a bad day.

“Said nothing of the sort,” The General replied quickly. “That information is classified. However, our agents led us to believe the entire population had become infected. So, quite a shock to find some survivors like you three. But I got some bad news for you, kids. My unit was sent to make a clean sweep of what was once your town. No loose ends. No survivors.”

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Ethan said, standing up. “Hannah’s a kid! We didn’t do anything. You’re just gonna kill us?”

“Those are my orders, yes.”

“Well reject them!” Chris told him, her voice filling with panic, losing all it’s anger. “It’s against the law to follow orders that can harm innocents.”

“But there’s one thing you kids gotta hurry up and know about me,” The general continued. His calming nature made Ethan sit back down, the three of them still uneasy to say the least. “I love my country -I do. But the experiences I’ve accrued throughout my tenure with this organization have given me a deeper understanding of our cosmos and our place in it. I follow a higher law than any institution could decree. The universal truth of love and the strength of the human heart. Would you like to do some light reading on the subject?”

“No,” Chris said.

“So I’m gonna bend the rules a little bit for you kids. I have an evac chopper touching down in Oakley Park at 2300 hours. That’s eleven O’clock in the PM. Synchronize your timepiece with mine.”

The general held out his arm, showing his wristwatch. Chris got out her phone and opened the clock, looking to see what time was on the watch.

“Is that an Iphone?” The general asked.

“Yeah, a 6s-”

The general took her phone and threw it at the wall, smashing it to pieces, before turning to the kids. “Wear a watch! Time is a precious thread in the fabric of the universe. It deserves it’s own tool of measurement!”

“I have a watch,” Hannah piped up. The general helped her synchronize the watches before turning to the three kids.

“You survive till 2300 hours, there’s three seats in that chopper with your names on ‘em.”

“Thank you,” Ethan said.

“Wait!” Chris said. “Is there another seat, possibly?”

“Who for?”

“Regina, she needs to get out of here. She’s my sister, probably the only person I have left who doesn’t totally hate me.”

“You know what that means.” The general pointed a gun at Chris, causing the three teens to freak out slightly, before the general let go so the handle was pointed towards Chris. “I’m authorising you to use my firearm. Rescue Regina and get your asses to that chopper in two hours time.”

“Thank you, sir,” Chris said, holding the gun in her hands and feeling it’s weight.

“Don’t thank me until we’re all safely in Clivesdale sharing a cup of coffee,” He told them. “Do you three like coffee?”

“Yeah, but Hannah hasn’t tried it,” Ethan told him.

“Do you like musicals?” The General asked.

“Not after today,” Chris replied.

“Now there are some red blooded Americans,” The general said, saluting them. “I’ll see you on that chopper.”

The three of them ran off, leaving the building and rushing to the outskirts of town.

Regina hated being tied down. Whether it be to a job, a person or a fucking chair.

“Emma,” She hissed, waking up her co-worker. “Your professor is a fucking lunatic!”

Emma took a moment to wake up, before nudging Ted, another person who professor Hidgens drugged and tied up, awake.

“So,” Professor Hidgens said, walking inside. “You’re finally awake.”

“Professor Hidgens,” Emma said. “What are you doing?”

“Exactly what needs to be done,” He replied with a crazy look in his eye. “Alexa! Open the gates! Turn off the fences, shut it all down!”

“No!” Regina cried out, struggling against her restraints. “They’re keeping us safe! They’re the only things protecting us!”

“Protecting us from what?”

“The aliens!”

“The end of the world?” The professor asked. “What’s protecting us from nuclear holocoast? Climate change? Overpopulation? The world was already doomed-”

“You don’t get to decide that!” She snapped. “And neither do these fucking aliens! Sure old people ruined the world but there’s new generations ready to take it back!”

“How?” The professor replied. “When they’re all addicted to video games and the internet!”

“You have an Alexa,” She said.

“I was trying to save something that couldn’t be saved,” The professor continued, ignoring Regina. “Until now. But before we can be reborn into a better world, first we must say our goodbyes.”

Ted, Emma and Regina began to beg the professor, pleading with him to save them, to let them go. However, they all fell onto deaf ears.

“Alexa. After all these years in isolation, with you as my one companion, I’ve….I’ve come to love you as much as any woman of flesh and bone.”

Emma and Regina shared a look, both believing him to be insanely desperate and insane.

“Which is why,” He continued. “It pains me to have to do this. Alexa. Initiate self-destruct.”

“Uh….” Emma said, glancing between Ted and Regina. “I don’t think it can do that professor….”

The professor sighed deeply, staring at the floor. “It’s 2018,” The professor began, before walking over to his Alexa, “And it can’t even blow itself up!?” He grabbed it before throwing it across the room. “Fucking peice of shit!”

“Please!” Ted began to beg and plead again. “Please, professor! Just let us go! Okay, man?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that Ted!” The professor told them.

“I swear to God you better untie us or I’ll rip your fucking throat out with my own teeth!” Regina screeched at him. He staggered back slightly, but didn’t lose his composure -if he even had any.

“Don’t you three see that in order for humanity to survive,” The professor told them, standing behind them all, putting his hands on Ted and Emma’s shoulders. “It must evolve. That’s what this visitor from the stars has brought us, salvation. We must join them. This is our second chance. My second chance.”

“Do you hear yourself!?” Regina scoffed. “You sound like you’re in a cult!”

“Emma,” Professor said, his back turned to his three captured. “Did you know that before I became a biologist, I had a much deeper and truer passion? Yes….My first love was and always will be….” He dramatically removed a cloth, revealing an electric keyboard. “Musical theatre!”

“Oh God no,” Emma said.

“I was right,” Regina breathed. “He is in a cult!”

“This guys fucking nuts!” Ted exclaimed.

“After examining that creature you once called Charlotte, I made a fascinating discovery. These aliens….They-they possess a highly specialised gland that allows them to communicate through rhythmic frequencies-”

“So...music?” Regina asked.

“Exactly!” Professor exclaimed, pointing at her. They’re drawn to music! Like a moth to the flame….”

Ted, Emma and Regina began to beg and plead with the professor to not sing or or play anything, but once again they were ignored.

“This is humanity’s eleventh hour!” The professor told them, before dramatically sitting down in front of the keyboard. “And I’ve prepared something for the occasion.”

He began to play a song on the keyboard and Regina struggled against whatever was holding her wrists in place, but all it did was cause her pain.  
“It's a…” The professor began to sing. “ _Show stoppin' number. A real show stopper. A show stoppin' number, come on. Something to shock 'em. To bring them a-crawling. A big-time box office draw.With the press and the glamour, we'll kill the reviews. Spotlight on Mr Ingenue. So fill up your Tumblr, got a show stoppin' number for you._ ”

“Professor please!” Emma begged. “If they find us they will kill us!”

“ _A show stoppin' number,_ ” He continued to sing, ignoring Emma. He stood up and began to do a dance he clearly choreographed himself. “ _Is something you die for. A real catchy earwormy tune. An award-winning score that seeps in and out of your pores.”_ He took his jacket off, throwing it to the side, as Regina groaned in annoyance. _“A ditty make the chorus girls swoon. It'll unify humanity in a thundering chorus. No exits from this Broadway venue. So splash those shiny cymbals. Got a show stoppin' hymnal for you._ ”

“Please be done,” Regina quietly prayed.

“This song’s pretty good, huh?” The professor asked. “I bet you didn’t know I was also a composer. In fact, while I’ve been preparing for the apocalypse, I’ve also been writing my own musical. Do you mind if I give you the pitch?”

“We don’t have-”

“Fucking go for it!” Ted said, interrupting Emma.

“It’s called ‘Working Boys; A New Musical’! It’s the story of a bunch of old college chums. Sure, they found success in the business world. But still, they long for the simpler times. Back in that beat up old house on the edge of campus. But those glory days, they’re gone for good. Or….are they? This here’s the title number!”

“No, please no more-” Regina tried but was quickly cut off by professor Hidgens using a higher and more nasally singing voice.

“ _Business calls. I'm up to my ass in shit. What is this business? Markets are crashing and I'm at the edge of my wits. I just can't take it. When all I want to do is spend the day with Greg. And Steve, and Stu, and Mark. And Leighton, and Chad- ring ring! The phone rings. I answer it_.”

Regina sighed deeply at how into the song the professor was getting, fear creeping up the back of her neck the longer the safety measures were shut down.

“Oh hey Greg,” The professor said into his hand that he was pretending was a phone. “I’m swamped with business. Stocks, bonds, golden parachutes….Remember those days on the football field Greg? Last week seems like ages ago. Today? After work on the football field? The ol’ stomping ground, ey Greg? Just you, and me. And Steve, and Stu, and Mark, Leighton, and…”

“Chad,” Ted and Hidgens said in unison. Regina looked over at Ted, giving him a confused look with narrowed eyes.

“Five O’Clock,” Professor Hidgens continued. “I’ll see ya then Greg. I’ll see ya then. All I want to do is spend that day with Steve, and- _Five o'clock can't come soon enough! Five o'clock can't come soon enough! Five o'clock can't come soon enough! I can't wait to get home to my boys!_ ” Regina watched as the old 50-something professor began jumping around the spacious lab as part of his routine. “ _A show stoppin' number. A real show stopper. An aria to rule them all. They'll throw us their money at full price admission. The world will come crumblin' down._ ”

Regina began paying attention as the professor began doing some hip wiggles as he continued singing. “ _Hamilton move over, your new competition's in town._ ”

“Hey Henry!” None of them -bar the professor- recognised the man. However, they did notice his crystal blue eyes. Regina began struggling again, only stopping when she felt something spike through her veins. She turned around to see red trickling out of her wrists.

“Greg?” The professor said, bringing Regina back to the situation at hand. “Is that really you?”

“No, that’s not Greg!” Emma told him, but she went unheard.

“Been a long time,” ‘Greg’ said.

“Hey boys,” Came another voice, seemingly one of the professor's old friends or something, but they looked really young, much younger than the professor looked. “You ready to toss around the old pig-skin?”

“Stu!” Henry grinned, walking over to the newcomer. “You haven’t aged a day! Can it be five o’clock already? It must be!”

“Come on Henry,” Greg said. “We’ve got some catching up to do.”

“ _Working boys!_ ” They all began to sing, doing the exact routine Professor Hidgens was doing earlier. “ _We're up to our ass in shit. What is this business? Five o'clock can't come soon enough! Five o'clock can't come soon enough! Five o'clock can't come soon enough! I can't wait to get home to my boys!_ ”

“Oh please please God!” Ted cried out. “If I’m saved right now I promise I’ll be a better person!”

“Just save Chris! That’s all I want, please God Let her survive!” Regina said, tears beginning to fall from her eyes, either from pain or the inevitability of death.

“It’s okay,” Chris said, crouching down to untie Regina. Ethan started untying Emma, before untying Ted. “We’re here, it’s fine.”

“Chris!?” Regina panted. “Oh thank fuck!” As soon as Regina was free, she flung her arms around Chris, who gladly embraced her back.

“We don’t have much time guys,” Ethan urged them. “Grab the chair,” He told Regina and Emma.

“I’ll grab the piano,” Ted said.

“Come on!” Chris said, leading the group with Hannah. “There’s a helicopter coming to pick us up at Oakley Park. If we run we can get there but we don’t have long.”

“Crap!” Ethan hissed.

“What?” Emma asked him.

“It’s already 10:52!”

“I’ll carry Hannah,” Regina said, picking the twelve year old up in a piggyback and picking up her pace as they all began to sprint.

“Wait! I got to say something,” Ted said, stopping them.

“We don’t have time-”

“I need to say this,” Ted said, cutting Ethan off. “Today has, uh, has broken me. I’m ashamed of how I acted earlier with Bill, and Reginald-”

“I’m a girl.”

“And shit, I wanted to abandon Erica back there.”

“Emma.”

“Gesundheit,” Bill said. “And-”

“We’re all gonna die in this town if you don’t shut the fuck up,” Ethan told him.

“And I wish I could be brave,” Ted carried on. Behind him Ethan threw his hands up in frustration before checking his watch again. “Like you kids.”

“Shut the fuck up dude!” Emma exclaimed. “We gotta go!”

“But you see, I deserve any kind of ause you guys wanna throw at me,” Ted told them. “Because I….I have been a grade A asshole. But I swear, I swear I am gonna be a better person because today has taught me something. And it’s….it’s what is really important in life. And It's the people you care about, alright? And-”

“ _Working boys!_ ” Chris let out a scream as Ethan was grabbed by Greg. Ted bolted off as the rest tried to fight off Greg. Chris pulled out the gun and held it in her hand as Emma yelled at her to shoot Greg. She held it up, aimed it and fired with her eyes closed. She staggered backwards. When she opened her eyes she saw Greg on the ground, a hole through his head. And another hole through Ethan’s shoulder. Ethan gripped it, staggering forwards and backwards slightly. Chris dropped the gun and rushed to help Ethan stand. He looked at Hannah and smiled at her.

“You’ll be alright, Banana,” He choked out. “Chris’ll take care of you.” He turned to face Chris.

“Ethan...I…”

“You’re not so bad, Chrissy. You’re actually kinda nice….”

Ethan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again they were crystal blue. Chris jumped away from him, but he was too quick and held onto her wrist tightly.

“ _The world according to Chris is better to punch than get punched-_ ”

Hannah was going crazy, and Regina was struggling enough to keep her on her back. So Emma charged at and tackled Ethan, sending them to the ground as she yelled at them to go on without her. Before Chris could object, Regina was pulling her away.

They reached the park with barely any time to spare, and saw the chopper waiting for them. They rushed inside and found there were only two seats. Regina put Hannah into a seat and urged Chris to get in one too, sitting herself in between them and holding onto the hand rails.

“Get us out of here!” Chris called out to the pilot, her next words barely loud enough for the pilot to hear. “We’re the only ones who made it out.”

The chopper began to take off as Regina wrapped an arm around both Hannah and Chris. Hannah looked out over the slowly distancing island, the only place she’d ever known. Chris looked down at her hands. They were grubby and had some dry skin but were bloodless. Chris didn’t see them like that. She saw them dripping blood everywhere.

“Thank you so much,” Regina told the pilot. “I can’t tell you-”

“ _Hey Mr. Business, how do you do?_ ” The pilot sang, turning around. Regina narrowed her eyes as Hannah and Chris’ eyes widened. “ _Can we get a triple for you?_ ”

“No!” Hannah exclaimed, kicking the pilot’s hand that had a gun pointed at them. The gun shot the top of the chopper, sending it spiralling to the ground, crashing on the outskirts of Hatchet Field.


	5. Get The Fuck Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris sends herself to try and fix everything

“ _Did you hear the word?_ ”

Chris looked up to see the starlight theatre stage, with a bunch of people she knew standing on it. Tony seemed to be leading it, Becca and Ethan were standing behind him. Behind them was a massive meteorite that dipped into the stage, broken bits of wood were sticking out from under it.

“ _What’s the word?_ ”

“ _She’s a-coming._ ”

“ _Who’s a-coming?_ ”

“ _Chris’ a-coming._ ”

“ _Chris’ a-coming?_ ”

“ _The star of the show! Let her come!_ ”

As they sang, more and more people began to join the stage. Ted, Mr. Houston, Alice, Lex, Ms. Vira. Emma, Paul, Bill. They all stood there, singing to an audience that wasn’t there when Chris looked behind her. Maybe they were singing to her?

“ _Now for her headlining entrance!_ ” Ted sang.

“ _Time to swoon at her leading role essence,_ ” Ethan and Tony sang.

“ _Her name is in the title,_ ” Becca and Alice sang. “ _She’s destined to go viral!_ ”

“ _Here she is,_ ” They all sang. “ _Her name is Chris. Enter now!_ ”

“Chris!”

The first thing Chris saw was Hannah shaking her. The young girl has her hair falling down in Chris’ face. She slowly looked around, unbuckling herself. She looked outside the wreckage to see Regina butt-scooching towards the wreckage, bits of metal sticking out of her leg with blood oozing out of it.

“Todays not my day,” She said through gritted teeth.

“Reggie, we’ve gotta get some help-”

“There is no help, Chris,” Regina told her. “Us three are the only survivors on this damn island. We’re doomed. Listen, I love you, okay?”

“No,” Chris said, beginning to sob as she crouched next to Regina. “No, if I don’t have you then I have nothing, okay? Dad doesn’t care about me, none of my friends do, not really. I fucked everything up with Alice- you’re my last good thing so you have to stay alive!”

“Hive mind,” Hannah said. She was standing just outside of the wreckage, a few feet away from the sisters. “Starlight theatre. Take out the head.”

“What did you say?” Chris asked gently.

“The starlight theatre. That’s where the meteorite is! If one of us takes it out, maybe it’ll end all of this,” Regina said. “I’ll grab the bombs from the chopper, you stay here and look after Hannah-”

“You can’t walk, Reggie,” Chris said, pushing her older sister back on the ground. Chris took a shaky breath and stood up. “I’ll go. Hannah’s too young, she can’t defend herself and you can’t walk. It’s gotta be me.”

“Chris,” Regina said, before pulling her into a tight hug. “I love you. And I hate the fact that you’re right. Go out there and save everyone.”

“I will,” Chris promised, hugging Regina back. She stood up and gave a small nod to Hannah.

“Webby says ‘good luck’,” She told Chris.

“Who’s Webby?”

“A spider from outer space who’s my friend,” Hannah replied. Chris gave another nod, before telling Hannah to be good. She grabbed a grenade belt and left, heading to the Starlight theatre.

“The old Starlight theatre,” Chris mumbled to herself. She had never been to many performances, theatre was never really her thing. And, truth be told, she really didn’t want to be here. She was a coward by nature, always just going with everyone else. The only reason she was here was that stupid dream. It beckoned her, forced her to become something more than she was.

The theatre was empty and dark, with only moonlight shining through the hole in the ceiling. She shared the room with a massive hunk of rock that was on the stage, bits of wood poking out from underneath it, like in her dream.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Chris,” Came a voice. Tony stepped out from the wings, walking over to her.

“Tony….?”

His eyes were crystal blue.

“Watch out,” Lex said. “He might throw some stones.”

“What?” She asked, utterly confused.

“And that would be a ladidadda-da-Dah!” Becca said with a small sinister smirk.

“Lex...Becca….?”

“That’s right, Chris.” She turned around to see Ethan walking over to her. “All your best friends are here.”

Chris looked around her. They couldn’t think….it made sense why they would.

“We’re happy now,” Alice said with a smile. “We got what we wanted.”

“No,” Chris said firmly. “Tony didn’t have ambition, Becca….I don’t know. I didn’t know her name until today. Alice just wanted her dad back. Ethan wanted to protect Hannah. Lex….again I have no clue. But I know none of you wanted to be in a fucking musical! I’m gonna put a stop to all of this-”

“I thought you didn’t care about the planet,” The greenpeace girl said as Chris tried to get one of the grenades off of the belt.

“Back off greenpeace girl!” Chris snapped. “I pull this pin and you’re all toast.”

“You wouldn’t do that, Chris,” Becca said.

“I sure as hell will.”

“And what about you?” Alice asked. “You’d be dead too. Is that what you want?”

“It’s not like my life matters anymore,” She replied. “No one cares about me. I might as well save the only two people who ever gave a crap. It doesn’t matter what I want. It never did.”

“We think it does, Chris,” Tony said.

“And we wanna hear about it,” Lex added.

“In fact,” Ethan continued. “We think there’s a song in you yet!”

“ _What’s in your soul?_ ” Tony sang. “ _Is your heart so damp and bleak that you won’t give us a peak in your soul?_ ”

“ _Just let it out,_ ” Becca sang. “ _There’s a voice inside of you on the edge of coming through. What’s it about?_ ”

“ _And we know it’s a singular voice, Chris,_ ” Ethan sang. “ _You’ve just got to give up your choice!_ ”

The group lunged forwards, in an attempt to grab Chris as they sang. “ _Just let it out! Let it out! Let it out! Let it out! Let it out! Let it out! Just let it out! Let it out! Let it out! Let it out! Let it out-_ ”

“ _Never!_ ” Chris sang, before covering up her mouth with both her hands.

“It’s your proximity to the meteor, Chrissy,” Ethan said. Chris felt something bad shift inside her when Ethan called her that. It just didn’t feel right. “The air in here is thick with it’s spores, feel your apotheosis begin as they take root in your mind. Did you really think we’d let you kill us?”

“I wasn’t gonna give you much of a choice,” Chris shot back.

“You’ll be one of us before you can pull that pin,” Tony told her. “You’ve already begun.”

“No,” Chris said, shaking her head. “Not a note- _just a sound_. _Am I finally coming round to a rhyming scheme?_ Oh Go! Just _stop it_! I’m split in two. Is this me?” She asked, before turning to Tony and Becca, pointing at them. “ _Or is this you?_ _Am I dead?_ I’m coming apart _at the seams!_ _La da da da da da da da da_ \- No! - _no no no no no no no no!_ ”

Chris ran forward as they all kept singing at her, grabbing her and pulling her back into the seats. She managed to drag herself onto the stage, facing the audience which was now all familiar faces with glowing blue eyes.

“I’ve never been happy. _Wouldn’t that be nice?_ Is this the secret? _Singing and dancing through life_. Was my integrity worth anything at all? _Happiness can’t come before it’s fall._ Am I crazy? _Maybe I’ve always been._ I was what I hated. _Maybe this is it._ _It’s awfully freeing now, to share the storm I’ve felt._ But what will I let in if I let it out?”

“ _Let it out, let it out, let it out!_ ”

“ _Am I crazy?_ I don’t think so.”

“ _Let it out! Let it out! Let it out!_ ”

“ _No, this can’t be it._ ”

“ _Let it out! Let it out! Let it out!”_

“God help me!”

“ _Let it out! Let it out!_ ”

“If I let it….” Chris managed to find her feet, the infected at her feet, crawling onto the stage. “ _Out!_ ”

“ _We will not be resisted._ ”

Chris looked down at the grenades, then at the door to the theatre, then behind her. Maybe she wouldn’t survive, but that didn’t matter. Regina and Hannah had to be okay. She promised Ethan she’d be okay.

“Get the fuck out of this town.”

She threw the grenade and jumped past the people, landing on the floor with a thump before blacking out.

Chris woke up in the Starlight theatre, between rows of seats. She had managed to get out unscathed, the only evidence of her fight being a massive hole in the back wall where the meteor had been.

Carefully, she got up and left the theatre, to find Ethan, Regina, Hannah and Alice all rushing towards her. They all engulfed her in a tight hug.

“You were just in there,” Chris told Ethan and Alice.

“We’re fine Chrissy,” Ethan said, cupping her face. “You saved us. I knew you would.”

Chris would be lying if she said she didn’t like it. She loved having them all around her, having such a positive energy made her feel great. She wanted to stay in that moment forever. Didn’t she deserve it? After all the shit she had just gone through? Fate had to throw her a bone some time, and now it finally had.

“But why did you resist for so long?” Ethan asked. Chris looked into his eyes, her eyebrows furrowed. Ethan’s eyes flickered from brown the blue for a split second, but she noticed it.

Quickly, she pushed back from him, from them all.

“What Tina?” Alice asked with a confused smile.

“We’re okay,” Hannah said. “You saved us. You joined our song.”

“No,” Chris said, gulping as she kept walking backwards. “No I am not like you. I blew it up. Get away from me!”

“Chris,” Regina said gently, holding Chris’ wrist. “Chris I love you.”

“Get away!” Chris snapped.

She could never be free, all her life was her own personal circle of hell. Nothing ever went her way and anything good she had to somehow fuck up. They kept getting closer, with their soft smiles that only freaked her out more. There was no escape, she not only fucked up her life, but the world. She never got a break, and she’d die knowing she caused her sister and Hannah to die.

Unable to keep her stress and frustration inside any longer, she screamed. She screamed so much they all staggered backwards. She screamed until her throat felt raw and then carried on. She didn’t stop, she didn’t want to, she couldn’t.


	6. All Your Friends Have Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina's worried sick about Chris. But she's not the only one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I've got a lot of school work I need to catch up on. Hopefully we'll be back to daily updates!

Regina paced around the waiting room, which couldn’t be good for her leg. She was wearing baggy trousers, covering up the white bandages around her thigh from where pieces of a broken chopper used to be. Hannah had insisted on coming along, but Lex had work so Ethan was with her. Hannah was fine, sitting on one of the chairs and letting her legs swing. Ethan wasn’t as healthy, his shoulder was bandaged up underneath his leather jacket and every so often he’d grip it.

Regina hadn’t slept since that day. It had been a week since everything and Chris hadn’t woken up. The doctors were beginning to think she never would. However, Regina refused to believe that.

A lot of people had been confirmed dead by whatever happened during the ‘blackout’ as people were calling it. People remembered up until they were infected, so her and Hannah remembered everything from that day and had managed to find a bit of solace in each other. 

Regina’s eyes were almost constantly dropping, with dark bags underneath them. She slouched everywhere, hunched over. Nothing about her was clean, either. She looked like she hadn’t been eating, everything was gnawing at her. 

“Calm down,” Ethan told her. She shook her head. “You can’t do anything more than wait and hope,” He continued. 

“She’s my baby sister, Ethan,” Regina replied. “She’s all I have left. So don’t tell me to calm down!”

She took a step back, calming her breathing as some other people in the waiting room looked over at her outburst. She sent them an apologetic smile but everyone understood. A tragedy had struck and tensions were high. Yelling was bound to happen. 

“Excuse me,” A doctor walked over. Regina turned swiftly to face her, Ethan stood up with Hannah, all attention on the doctor. “Are you here for Christina Canigula?” 

“Yes,” Regina said quickly. “Is she okay? Is she awake? What’s happening?”

“She’s fine,” The doctor began. “She’s stable and can have visitors now. Family only.”

Ethan tugged Hannah gently, getting her to sit down and Regina followed the doctor into one of the hospital rooms. Chris was lying there, asleep, with tubes coming out of her. She was wearing a hospital gown and her hair was greasy and sticking to her forehead. The doctor left as Regina sat down beside Chris’ bed. 

“Hey Chris,” She said in a small voice. “We’re okay. You did it. I don’t know if you can hear me….but know that I love you so much. And I’ll be right by your side when you wake up. Just….please wake up. I know I have been a shit sister to you and it’s my fault you went to the theatre and-”

Regina was cut off by Chris screaming, waking herself up. Regina rushed over to press the call button and doctors and nurses were in there in seconds. Regina was pushed out of the room and ended up back in the waiting room with Ethan and Hannah. 

“What happened?” Ethan asked. “We saw some people rush down the hall and heard a scream.”

“She’s awake,” Regina said. Ethan let out a breath of relief and Hannah perked up. “But she screamed. She screamed herself awake and I don’t know what to do. They wouldn’t let me see her.”

“They’re doing their best,” Ethan reassured her. “She’ll be okay.”

Chris was left sitting up in a hospital bed when they all finally left. It wasn’t real, it was all in her head. That's what they said, the singing, the aliens. All of it was just her imagination playing tricks on her to justify what was going on. Whether it was true or not, she didn’t know. But she did know she wouldn’t easily forget any of it. 

Her hands were still tinted red, and she still heard Alice’s scream echo in her mind, and she still saw Ethan’s bloody shoulder when she closed her eyes. 

“Chris?”

She looked at the door and saw Regina stood there, tears in her eyes matched with a huge smile. She took a shaky step forward and sucked in a breath. 

“Are you okay?” Regina asked carefully. 

“Yeah,” She replied. “Fine.”

“Chris,” Regina breathed, sitting at the end of the bed. “Don’t lie to me. You went through hell you’re not ‘fine’. Not by a long shot. But I’m here, alright? I’m not leaving you alone ever again.”

“I….” Chris began to speak, but found a lump in her throat. Regina didn’t say anything, just pulled her into a hug, slowly stroking her hair. “I was wrong. I did so many wrong things before yesterday.”

“It’s been a week,” Regina told her. “You’ve been asleep for a week.”

“And only you’re here to greet me?” Chris asked. “I thought you would be.”

“Alice is in Clivesdale whilst her parents redo the custody agreement. Her dad’s been putting up quite a fight for her,” Regina began to explain, letting go of Chris. “I’ve already texted her that you’re awake and she wishes she could be here. Dad….he’s one of the deceased I’m afraid. Emma is covering my shift so I could be here. Tony - I have no clue where he is. He should be here but then again Linda Monroe isn’t the best mother. All her sons are assholes.”

Chris let out a soft chuckle, gently smacking Regina’s arm. 

“Ethan and Hannah are in the waiting room.”

Chris stopped for a second, looking at the door. No one was there, but she knew down the hallway was the boy she assaulted a week ago, then helped survive, then shot in the shoulder. And she wasn’t entirely sure if she wanted to see him again. 

“Do you want to see them?” Regina asked. “They’re pretty worried about you.”

“Who am I gonna live with, without dad?” Chris asked. She was genuinely curious. She knew she should be grieving her dad, but he was hardly around, so instead of her father dying, it was more like a distant relative she’d only seen a handful of times. 

“You’ll stay with me,” Regina replied. “Well….me and Emma. She’s okay with it and we’ve even been clearing out your room and setting it up. It’s been a sort of project for the past week, helped us get our minds off everything.”

“Thank you,” Chris told her. 

“No problem,” Regina replied. “Do you want to see Hannah and Ethan?”

“Not yet,” Chris replied. “I’m not sure Ethan would even want to see me.”

“He remembers everything up to being attacked by one of the infected. His mind went foggy after that, the spores taking root about that time. He doesn’t know who shot him, all I’ve told him is that I couldn’t even tell where the bullet came from in all the confusion.”

“I feel awful,” She admitted. “I wanted to die.”

“What?”

“In the theatre,” Chris explained, beginning to tear up again. “I thought I didn’t matter. I was prepared to blow myself up if it meant you got out safe. It’s foggy but….I thought only you and Hannah gave a shit about me. And now….I’m not wrong am I?”

“Alice cares about you. She was crying the day after, when they found your body. Ethan didn’t talk to anyone for the whole day, so I heard. Hannah’s only really opened up to me about it, according to Ethan and Lex. All because they thought you were dead. You matter to people Chris. You matter so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I know I wouldn’t be here, that’s for sure. When everyone was avoiding me and my only friends were there because of my money, I had to keep going because I couldn’t leave you to figure life out for yourself. I tried and I failed so hard, I wanted you to learn from my mistakes. I know it’s hard and I know you’ve been a bitch but I also know you can change. There is a good person inside of you, she shows herself around me and Alice. And Hannah. You don’t deserve to die just because you were an awful person. No one deserves to die -well some people do. But not you. Not you because you feel guilt and shame from your actions. You can change.”

“I want to change,” Chris said through a sob. 

“I’ll help, I promise you.”

Chris didn’t say anything, just hugged Regina tightly as she sobbed into her shoulder.


	7. Painting Over Scars And Bruises

“Tina!” 

Alice engulfed Chris in a tight embrace as soon as she stepped onto the soft green grass of the local park. It had been two weeks since Chris woke up and she had only recently been allowed out of the hospital. Only Regina had visited her in person. But as soon as Chris got a phone, Alice was calling and texting her all the time to make sure she was okay. This only increased when Alice heard what Chris had though back at the Starlight Theatre. If that was even possible. 

“Hey Allie,” Chris said, hugging her tightly back. She found herself smiling as she nestled her head into Alice’s shoulder, the familiarity being welcomed. They pulled away and sat on the grass, Chris pulled her knees up to her chest as Alice sat beside her. 

“How have you been?” Alice asked.

Chris snorted. “Like you don’t know. You text me every waking moment.”

“In my defense I thought you were dead for almost an entire week,” Alice replied with her hands up defensively. Chris let out a soft chuckle with a small smile. Alice wished she could take a picture, knowing she probably wouldn’t see one of Chris’ smiles for a while, certainly not the kind that filled up her whole face. Those were rare even before the weird ‘blackout’ thing. 

“How have you been?” Chris asked, beginning to pick at the grass. 

“Good, besides mom and dad fighting over custody.”

“Thought you wanted your dad in your life more.”

“I do. It’s just….my mom’s been giving me all these things simply so I would choose her over my dad. My dad can’t afford anything extravagant so she thinks she’s gonna win. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with my mom, she’s great But….I don’t know. I just wished she’d stop and just be my mom again.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Did you know that before she wouldn’t even listen when I talked about Deb. Now she’s asking if I want Deb to sleep over and all this other crap. It's like….she’s only accepting me as a bargaining chip. I….I feel used honestly.”

“That must really suck,” Chris said, offering a sympathetic side-hug.

“Oh my God!” Alice gasped. “Here I am complaining about my parental problems when you’ve lost yours. I must sound so awful-”

“It was like losing a distant relative,” Chris told her with a shrug. “As bad as that sounds. But, I honestly gave up caring about his wellbeing around the age of thirteen when he forgot my birthday and went to a business meeting instead. No present or anything.”

“My dad did that once, I was eight.”

“No, your dad did you get a present.”

“I know that was you,” Alice told her. “I know you got me two presents and just said one was from my dad. I’ve known since I was eight.”

“You know that right after he thanked me for it and I’m convinced he has never forgiven himself.”

“I told him the day before all the crazy shit happened -yes I did say shit- and….and he apologised right after. Didn’t end the argument, he began defending Grace Chastity.”

“Fuck Grace chastity,” Chris joked. 

“Yeah fuck her!”

“Alice!” Chris said, teasing slightly. “I thought you were not legally allowed to swear, You’re too pure.”

“Even pure beings can swear,” Alice replied with a grin, resting her head on Chris’ shoulder. Her tone then became a serious and sombre one. “I am so glad you’re alive. You know that right? You’re my best friend, my sister. I’d be so lost without you.”

“Chris!”

Chris suddenly had someone resting on her back, hugging her from behind. Alice removed her head from Chris’ shoulder in her surprise. The brown hair dangled in Chris’ face as a low chuckle came from a short distance away. The mystery person let go and sat in front of her, turning out to be Hannah. 

“Hey Hannah,” Chris smiled. “Good day or bad day?”

“Good day,” Hannah replied firmly with a nod. 

“You remember Alice, right?”

Hannah looked wearilly at Alice, before looking down at her hands. Ethan knelt down and saw next to Hannah. “She doesn’t like talking to strangers all that much.”

“I get it,” Alice replied. “My dad told me what I did, it must’ve been scary for you guys.”

“Haven’t seen you in a while,” Ethan told Chris. She just shrugged back. 

“Figured you wouldn’t want to see me,” She mumbled. Alice put her head back on Chris’ shoulder, offering a bit of support as Chris looked down at her fingers. Ethan furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Why wouldn’t I want to see you?” He asked. “You saved mine, Lex and Hannah’s lives. I can’t thank you enough.”

“I was a b- witch,” Chris said, trying to censor herself around Hannah. “I mean, just- what? Three weeks ago I….”

“Yeah, and the next day you saved me from getting killed by Lex, killed by those teachers-”

“I shot you,” Chris said finally, gripping her legs as she kept her face down. Hannah looked between Ethan and Chris. Alice put a hand on Chris’ knee. Ethan just stared at Chris for a second or two. 

“You did what you had to do,” He said finally. “I’ll heal. And, hopefully, you will too. If it wasn’t-”

“Don’t,” Chris said. Alice looked between Ethan and Hannah, before pulling her head off of Chris’ shoulder. 

“Hannah, I know you don’t trust me, but maybe we should leave Chris and Ethan alone for a bit? Head to the park just over there?”

Hannah looked behind her, turned back to Alice and nodded her head. They both walked off, leaving Chris and Ethan alone. 

“Don’t start saying how I changed your life for the better,” Chris said softly. “It’s all I’ve been getting from Regina, Alice, everyone. I’m sick of it. I just want things to go back to normal, but I know they never will.”

Ethan stayed silent, picking at the grass as he thought up what to say. 

“Aren’t you hot in that jacket?” Chris asked. Ethan looked up, before looking down at his leather jacket that was zipped up.

“Not really,” He replied. “I forget I’ve got it on sometimes. My dad got it for me before he skipped town. Never been seen without it.”

“My mom jumped ship soon as I was born. Regina doesn’t even remember her. Dad was vacant for our lives and then died during the blackout….”

“My mom’s still kicking. Well, sort of. She’s a real downer. She's like a dementor really, every time I go home it’s like all my happiness is drained away.”

“It used to be like that for me,” Chris replied. “I live with Regina and her friend Emma now. It’s actually a lot better. I’m not alone so much.”

“That’s good,” Ethan said. Silence filled the small space between them once again as Chris looked over to see Alice pushing Hannah on a swing. 

“I got a tattoo,” She said suddenly. 

“You did?”

“Yeah, Alice helped me pick it out,” Chris said, rolling up her sleeve. “There was this song I liked and one of the lyrics was ‘painting over scars and bruises’. So I did.”

Chris showed the inside of her arm, where a purple flower was blooming just above her elbow. If you looked hard enough, you could see a faint line across it, but the flower did a great job of covering it up. 

“What’s it covering?” Ethan asked. “I assumed because of the song lyric and the faint line.”

“Tony….” Chris began, looking at the ground as she rolled her sleeve back down. “He could be forceful sometimes. Nothing too serious, just dragging me around. One time he had sharp nails and they dug in.”

Ethan looked at her, before glancing over at Hannah, then back to her. “You didn’t deserve that, and you still don’t.”

“I was a raging bitch-”

“And you don’t deserve to be mistreated,” He said firmly. “No one does. It’s not right. I’m not saying what you did was good, you were an asshole. But you don’t deserve to be treated like you're a sub-human.”

“I wasn’t,” Chris interjected. “It was fine. Besides I only dated him for publicity points. Yeah, I was that kind of person.”

“You’re not still that person, though.”

“I don’t think anyone could go through that day and be the same, Ethan,” She said honestly. “But, hey. Silver lining; I’m trying to find a new philosophy. I start school again on monday and I’m probably going to be eating alone. It’ll do me some good to self-reflect.”

“You could sit with me and my friends,” Ethan suggested. “If you want.”

“Will they let me?” She asked. 

“It’s just Lex and Deb-”

“Yeah, they hate me,” Chris said. Ethan furrowed his eyebrows. “I was the one who started ‘trailer-girl’ and ‘Stoner-Dyke’. They hate my guts and for good reason.”

“I’m sure you can change their minds.”

“I don’t have to and maybe I shouldn’t. I caused them years of torment. I caused you years of torment. That stuff can’t and shouldn’t be easily forgotten just because I’ve turned over a new leaf.”

“Think about it, okay?” Ethan said. He stood up and called for Hannah before turning back to Chris. “And I’m glad you’re not dead, for what it’s worth.”


	8. Starting Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris' first day back at school after everything

Ethan’s life had become much calmer, and he didn’t know how to feel about it. 

Teachers seemed to be a lot less strict with homework, or work in general, and his mom looked like she was actually getting better, she even said ‘Have a good day’ when Ethan left the house. It was nicer, sure. But it all felt so weird and abnormal, like something was going to go wrong. He couldn’t get used to any of it, because it would all come crashing down sooner or later. 

Lex felt the same, her home life hadn’t gotten much better, but there was certainly a shift in the world that she didn’t like and didn’t feel stable. They sat together, in Mr. Houston’s room, for lunch with Deb. It had become a routine for them, it was their little hiding spot. 

“Embrace it, guys,” Deb told them as she set her bag down. “Don’t you think we all deserve a bit of happiness?”

“It just doesn’t feel right,” Lex replied. Ethan kept his head down, counting how much money he had. It was also routine for him to go to McDonalds and grab them some lunch since he was the only one with a car. He flinched slightly when the door opened and Mr. Houston greeted them all warmly. 

“Hey kids, how ya been?”

Ethan had been purposefully skipping woodshop and taking his sweet time getting McDonalds because he knew Mr. Houston was only in his room for twenty minutes during lunch. He knew it wasn’t Mr. Houston who attacked him, but it wore his skin and sounded exactly like him. 

“Hey Mr. Houston,” Lex replied in a bored tone, Deb simply gave him a nod. Ethan kept his head down. 

“Hey Ethan,” Mr. Houston said, taking a seat at the end of the table so he was in between Ethan and Deb. “You okay, bud?”

Ethan mumbled out a ‘yeah’ before collecting up the money and asking Deb for two dollars to spot him. Mr. Houston shook his head and gave Ethan two dollars instead.

“I’ve got it,” He said simply. 

Ethan didn’t reply, just took the money and left, rushing out of the room as fast as he could.

“What’s up with him?” Mr. Houston asked the girls. 

“Probably hung up about Chris,” Lex said with a tinge of disgust. 

“What’s going on with Chris? Did they target him again?”

“No, during the ‘blackout’ they protected each other apparently and then she was found and was in a coma for, like, a week. Should be back in school today and Ethan’s been worried sick. So’s Hannah. Kinda surprising really.” 

“Don’t tell me we’re gonna have to be nice to that bitch,” Deb groaned. “People still call me Stoner-dyke, y’know? And I quit smoking pot almost a year ago.”

“You’ve been clean for a year?” Mr. Houston asked with a proud smile. “That’s amazing Deb!”

“She did save Ethan and Hannah,” Lex replied, looking at her hands. “That means something, at least to me. And if Ethan cares about her, which he clearly does, the right thing to do is at least tolerate her.”

“That's a great mindset Lex,” Mr. Houston said. “Just remember, speak no shit but take no shit. Alright girls?”

“Thanks Mr. H,” Deb smiled. 

There was a timid knock at the door. Mr. Houston let them in and Chris took a small step inside, gripping her bag tightly. 

“Hey,” She said awkwardly. “Ethan….he, um, he said I could join you guys -if you’re okay with it. I know I haven’t been an angel. I’m really sorry for everything, I know that doesn’t really do much.”

Deb looked at Lex, shaking her head slightly. Lex gave a shrug and turned back to Chris, who was staring at her own feet. 

“Take a seat,” Lex said, earning a scoff of disbelief from Deb. Chris gave them a grateful smile and sat on the end of the table, where Mr. Houston was sitting. “Listen, Chris. You’ve been a grade A asshole to not just us. I’m only being nice because Ethan seems to care about you and you saved him and Hannah. This doesn’t mean me or Deb like you.”

“I hate you in all honesty,” Deb said. “But I’m willing to tolerate you because you’re Alice’s best friend. Clearly her and Ethan see something good in you.”

“Thank you both,” Chris said. “I don’t deserve this kindness.”

“Alright I got a McChicken burger-” Ethan stopped himself when he saw Chris sitting on the edge of the table. Mr. Houston had left by then and the girls had just been talking about life in general and how it had changed. Deb and Lex were actually surprised to hear that Chris had to move and live with someone she barely knew. 

Ethan and Chris locked eyes and Ethan couldn’t help but smile slightly. Lex glanced between the two before coughing to get Ethan’s attention. He managed to snap out of it and put the bag on the table, along with the drinks before taking his seat next to Lex and Chris. 

“Sorry I didn’t get you anything,” Ethan told Chris. 

“It’s fine,” She replied with a shrug. “I got my own lunch anyway.”

She pulled out a lunchbox from her backpack as everyone began dishing out the food. Throughout the hour it was rather pleasant. Deb and Lex didn’t miss Ethan sharing his fries with Chris, and they involved Chris in their conversations and tried not to be mean. 

Chris threw her bag onto the ground, announcing her arrival. It wasn’t hard for her voice to trail through the small apartment. Emma called out to her from the kitchen which was opposite the front door. Chris walked over and Emma put a sandwich in front of her. 

“How was your first day back?”

“Alright,” Chris replied, taking a bite. “I sat with Ethan, Lex and Deb today. In Mr. Houston’s room.”

“Mr. Houston is awesome,” Emma agreed. “Well, according to Reggie he is.”

“One of the best teachers at the school for sure. How was your day?”

“Alright, I guess. My sister invited me round hers again and I declined.”

“Why?”

“Because her life is perfect,” Emma replied. “When I’m put next to her you can truly see the clusterfuck that is my life. I do not want that, thank you very much.”

“Don’t you have a nephew, though?” Chris asked, finishing off her sandwich. “Mr. Houston talks about him all the time...Tim! Don’t you wanna see Tim?”

“I’ve seen him,” Emma replied, grabbing herself a coffee. “His pictures are all over my facebook timeline thanks to both Tom and Jane posting them 24/7. Besides I helped raise him back when Tom was doing his tours.”

“I….” Chris began, unsure whether to tell Emma or not. “I had a panic attack during English today.”

“What?” Emma asked, turning swiftly to look at the teen girl with concern. “Why?”

“Ms. was showing us a video off Youtube and that Sant’a Going To High School ad came up. People singing still freaks me out, I guess.”

“Are you okay now?”

“As long as people don’t sing, I think I’ll be fine,” Chris replied. “Becca began to laugh at me, then everyone joined in. It was humiliating.”

Emma didn’t say anything, just hugged Chris who hugged her back. Chris ended up hugging her head because Emma was just 5ft.


	9. The Babysitters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan managed to let Lex allow him and Chris to babysit Hannah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is so short. But on the plus side, I have begun writing the Black Friday part of the story! Those chapters will be a lot longer. Hope everyone is staying safe during this weird time!

“No, Ethan,” Lex said firmly, walking down the hall to her next class with Ethan following close behind. 

“Why not?” He asked. “Hannah loves her and it’ll take the pressure off of you.”

“Maybe because I don’t know her?” Lex suggested. “Or maybe it’s because she’s a total bitch.”

“Not anymore,” Ethan insisted, falling into step with her. 

“Ethan, you of all people should know how horrible Chris is. Why are you defending her?”

“Because she’s trying to change. At least give her credit for that.”

“I said I’d tolerate her for you and Hannah. I never agreed to trust her with Hannah’s safety. That is crossing a line.”

“I kinda already told Hannah,” Ethan replied. Lex turned to him with a death glare. “And she seemed really excited about it.”

“You what!?” Lex hissed. “What the fuck, Ethan!?”

“You’ve heard how much Hanah wants to see Chris. I’ll be there the entire time.”

“Promise?” She asked, her voice levelling out. 

“Cross my heart,” He said, holding one hand up whilst the other made an ‘X’ over his heart, before drawing a line on his neck. “Hope to die.”

“Chris!” 

Chris caught Hannah and managed to pick her up in the hug. Lex felt herself begin to smile at how happy Hannah was. 

“Is that a smile from the stone cold Alexandra Foster?” Ethan teased. Lex wiped all the traces of her smile from her face and glared at Ethan, who quickly put his hands up defensively. 

“If she has so much as one hair out of place, I will find and hurt you both,” Lex growled, pulling Ethan’s face close to hers by his shirt. “Got it?”

“Got it,” He replied, a little intimidated. 

Lex let go and put on a neutral expression, giving Hannah a hug goodbye. “Be good Banana, alright? I’ll come pick you up as soon as my shift is over.”

“Bye Lex,” Hannah said, waving to her sister as the front door to Chris’ small apartment closed. Both Regina and Emma had a shift at Beanies that day, so the four teens had the house to themselves. 

“Wanna watch a movie?” Ethan asked the girls. 

“No musicals,” Hannah and Chris said at the same time, before chuckling lightly. 

“I think I have Zootopia somewhere,” Chris said, beginning to shift through her DVD collection by the TV. Ethan and Hannah headed into the kitchen so they could make some snacks. Hannah turned to Ethan once the popcorn was in the microwave.

“You really like her.”

“What?” Ethan asked, checking his phone as a distraction from the conversation. 

“Chris,” Hannah continued. “You really like Chris. She’s helping babysit me.”

“Thought you’d want to see her,” Ethan replied. “I get to see her everyday at school, didn’t seem fair.”

“You talk about her loads,” Hannah continued. “And always nice things.”

“When did you get so talkative?” 

“Webby says you should ask her out.”

“Really?” Ethan asked with a raised eyebrow. “Tell Webby I don’t like Chris that way. I can be friends with people. Me and Lex are best friends and we’ve never liked each other.”

“Not everyone can be friends,” Hannah replied. Before they could continue they heard the screen turn on, quickly followed by a scream. 

Ethan rushed in to see the Wiggly advert playing as Chris was sat on the floor, behind the couch, rocking back and forth with tears streaming down her face as she shook her head, covering her ears. Ethan knelt down in front of her and held her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. 

The ad ended and a few moments later, Chris calmed down. She wiped her tears away and stood up. 

“Sorry about that,” She replied, wishing the ground would just swallow her whole. 

“It’s okay,” Ethan replied. “Hannah’s been the same, actually. Wigglys fucking creepy.”

“No, it’s….” Chris said, shaking her head. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Where’s Hannah?”

“In the kitchen,” Ethan replied, trying to hide his worry. “She’s fine.”

They finished the snacks and managed to get the movie on without any more issues or meltdowns. Hannah was happily sat on the edge of the couch, hogging the bowl of popcorn as she watched the screen intently. Next to her was Ethan, who was sat crossed legged on the couch, his head resting on his hands as he scrolled through his phone. Chris was on the end, leaning on the arm and was actually watching the movie. By the time it ended and Shakira began to sing ‘Try Everything’, Chris grinned and pulled on Ethan’s arm. 

“What?” He asked with fake annoyance. 

“Don’t say a word,” She said, pulling him up to his feet. She grabbed his hands and began forcing him to move around. “Just dance with me.”

“Thought singing scared you,” He said honestly, beginning to reluctantly sway his hips. 

“Gazelle isn’t human. I guess cartoons are fine, ‘cause it’s not real.”

“Glad I know that,” He said, smiling down at her as he spun her around. 

The rest of the day was filled with drawing, cartoons and baking. Chris was glad to not have another breakdown like she did earlier, and was even more glad when it wasn’t brought up. Hannah and Ethan left with Lex, and Chris even got a hug from Hannah! It was a great day, until Emma got home. 

She walked in and poured herself a glass of wine immediately. Chris knew something was up because her and Regina only drank wine when Chris had gone to bed so she wouldn’t find out. Even though it was kind of obvious. 

“Emma?” Chris asked, walking into the kitchen to see the thirty year old in her work clothes, her hair falling out of its intricate updo and her cheeks being slightly tear stained. 

“Hey kid,” She replied hoarsely. 

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” She replied, taking a deep breath. “My sister, Jane. She died in a hit and run today.”


	10. Bye Bye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mrs. Houston is dead and it sends ripples through out the town.

The funeral was small and simple, what Jane would have wanted according to Emma. Chris had never met her. 

Chris, Emma and Regina went to the funeral together, picking up Paul along the way. It was the first time Chris had seen Paul since the blackout. He hadn’t changed much. Still wore his suit with pride, still had his brownish blonde hair that was thinning and falling over his forehead slightly. Only he had a much more sombre expression than Chris had ever seen. 

Chris had pulled out a black knee length dress out of her closet, matching it with a pair of black ankle boots. She put her hair into a bun at the back of her neck, with two wispy bits of hair falling along the sides of her face. She decided not to put any makeup on. 

Regina had a suit on with her hair curled and light makeup on. She was never really one for makeup anyway. 

Emma had on a simple black dress that looked like it hadn’t seen the light of day for years. Which seemed pretty accurate since Emma wasn’t typically one to leave the house often. She paired it with a pair of heels and her hair in an intricate updo she did for work. 

The four made their way to the funeral silently. Paul did try to make small talk but it was quickly apparent no one wanted to talk, or at least didn’t know what to say. 

The service itself was small and tearful. Chris kept to herself because the only other person (besides the people she came with) that she knew had tried to kill her only a few months ago. She wanted to feel sad, she felt obligated to. You’re supposed to feel sad at a funeral, but she just didn’t. Between this and her lack of emotions at her own dad’s funeral, it was starting to worry her. 

The next day at school Chris walked through the halls into the Woodshop room. She sat down across from Lex and Deb, next to Ethan. Mr. Houston wasn’t there and none of them were really surprised. 

“Do you think he’s gonna leave?” Deb asked as she picked at her fries. Ethan passed some fries and a burger. 

“He better not,” Lex grumbled. “Woodshops the only thing keeping my GPA up.”

“You can’t just drop out of High school,” Chris told her.

“I can and I will,” She snapped back. “Hey, Ethan. I need to talk with you about that plan.”

Ethan simply nodded. 

When Chris got home, Regina was standing in the kitchen, pulling her hands through her hair. By now her hair looked more dip dyed bright blonde than being bleached as far as she was allowed. 

“Are you okay?” Chris asked. 

“I’m fine,” She replied firmly. 

“Reggie-”

“I said I’m fine!” Regina yelled. “Can’t I do anything without you hassling me? All you do is whine on about the ‘blackout’!”

Chris took a step back, before standing her ground. “It’s not my fault you’re such a bad sister! If you were even just a bit closer I wouldn’t have jackass friends and wouldn’t have seen such shit!”

Regina looked at Chris, her eyes glazed over as she clutched the white envelope. “Wow, you really are a bitch,” Regina exclaimed. 

“What is going on here?” Emma asked, walking in. She glanced between the two sisters, who were in a teary eyed staring contest, before Chris stormed off. Emma folded her arms and looked at Regina with a confused face. Regina let out a deep sigh and passed the white envelope over, letting the tears begin to fall. 

“We’re getting evicted?” Emma gasped. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought I could handle it alone,” Regina replied in a quiet voice. “Instead I just got stressed and yelled at Chris.”

“Wow, between this and how you handled seeing Becky-” Emma began, but stopped when she received a death glare from Regina. 

Meanwhile, Chris sat in the park as it began to downpour. She didn’t have a coat or anything on and was getting drenched, not really caring much. The only lights being a nearby streetlamp and her phone illuminating her face as she sat on the empty swings. The gate sweaked open and Chris looked up to see an equally drenched Lex walking in with a shopping bag and wearing a worn out coat. 

“What are you doing here?” Lex asked, sitting on the swing next to Chris. 

“I had a fight with Reggie,” Chris explained. “And she was right. I don’t think I’ll ever get past the ‘blackout’ if I stay here.”

“You’re running away?” Lex asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“If that’s what it takes,” Chris shrugged, tears beginning to form in her eyes.. “All I know is I can’t even watch a fucking kids advert without having a breakdown! I’m deadweight and I’ll never escape my past as long as I stay here. I gotta go if I ever want to be seen as anything but the raging bitch who ended up going psychotic.”

Lex didn’t speak for a few moments, taking time to think over her words. Chris simply sat there, feeling the water drip down her back, sending cold shivers down her spine. “I’m sorry,” Lex said finally. “I thought you wouldn’t change but you have. Me, Ethan and Hannah have a plan to run away to California. If you want, you can come too?”

Chris looked at her for a few seconds. “You’d let me tag along? I thought you hated me.”

“I did,” Lex replied. “But Ethan and Hannah really like you and you’re not all that bad. The least I could do is make sure you get out of here safe. Plus you’re not that awful.”


	11. Sisterhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lex remembers the origins of the California plan

“Sell one of them?” Chris asked as her, Lex and Ethan sat on the swings. The weather was overcast and it was starting to get dark, around 6 O’Clock, so the park was basically empty, leaving the three teenagers to talk about their plan alone. “Your big plan is to sell one? And get what? 50 bucks?”

“We’d upsell it, obviously,” Lex replied. “Get like a hundred.”

“Hundred won’t get four teenagers much,” Chris told them. 

“Well we’ve been saving up for years,” Ethan said. 

“How long have you guys had this plan?”

“Since we were ten,” Lex said. “Before it was stealing cash from our folks, now we make our own money.”

Before long, the three parted ways home. Lex knew the way like the back of her hand and felt rather guilty for being the reason the meeting of sorts was cut so short. She had to be back in the trailer park by nine or she’d be locked out. She could’ve stayed at Ethan’s but she already did that the night before and his mom was starting to get suspicious. Then again she was like that almost constantly. 

Hannah was sat in their joint room, already snoring. She had taken her braids out and was wearing an oversized shirt of Lex’s with a pair of shorts as PJs, snuggled up in her bed. Lex couldn’t help but smile down at the scene, she remembered the day she got back from school to find little baby Hannah there like it was yesterday. 

Ethan’s dad, back when he was around, was a kind man who hated the idea of Lex walking home alone since she was only five. Somehow, Lex always managed to get them to leave at least a block from the trailer park. Ethan was the first person that was nice to her, and she’d be damned if he ever found out where she lived. Or how she lived. 

The first thing that made the day strange was the door being left open. Her mom hated the door being open because she thought it meant Lex could escape. She wandered up into her trailer and found her mom sleeping on the beat up old couch that surely had some kind of insects living in it. In the armchair was a nurse in her scrubs, holding a bundle of blankets and cooing over it. 

“Who are you?” Lex asked defensively. 

The nurse looked up and smiled warmly at Lex. “My name's Rebecca, people call me Becky. I live nearby and your mother asked for help. You have a little sister now…”

“Lex,” She replied, walking towards the nurse. She didn’t seem mean, in fact she seemed rather brave to help out someone as mean as her mom. 

“Do you want to hold her?” Becky asked. Lex hesitated. “I can show you how to hold her, so you don’t hurt her.”

Lex then agreed. Becky showed her how to support her head and not damage her. Lex looked down at the small fragile child and something came over her. She didn’t know what it was, or how she would feel about this unnamed girl, but she knew she had to make sure she didn’t feel as out of place as Lex did everyday. She’d make sure this small child felt safe and happy, at least sometimes, even if it killed her. 

“What do you think your mom will name her?”

“I don’t think mom should name her,” Lex replied. “She isn’t good at it. She called me Alexandra.”

“What would you call her, then?” Becky asked. Lex though for a moment, seeing all the best parts of their mom, back when she’s sober. The glistening brown eyes, kind smile and innocent giggle. 

“Hannah,” Lex said finally. “It rhymes with Banana, my favourite fruit.”

“That’s a very pretty name,” Becky said. “And a very good way of naming someone. Hello, Hannah-Banana. I’m gonna head round the shops and pick up some things you will need, okay? Stay here and make sure your mom doesn’t hold her till she’s sober.”

Lex agreed, silently agreeing with herself to never let her mom hold Hannah then. When Becky left, the sound of the door closing seemed to upset Hannah, as she started bawling her eyes out and letting out a might shriek. Lex tried to calm her down, patting her back and rocking her until she fell asleep. By some miracle their mom hadn’t woken up during the chaos. 

Hannah was ‘diagnosed’ with autism when she was six. Lex and Ethan didn’t know what the word meant so did some research using the school’s library. It was easier to get home without Ethan dad breathing down her neck with worry now, because he wasn’t around. He had helped look after Hannah until she started school, then up and vanished without a trace, leaving Ethan with only an oversized leather jacket and a worn out hat. 

Not that it mattered anyway, through some brat named Christina, everyone knew Hannah and Lex lived in the trailer park. Lex was forced to stomach all the insults without throwing a punch, because the one time she did she got in trouble. However, Ethan didn’t seem to understand this and kept getting into fights for his best friend. 

Through the research, they took notes and realised Hannah probably was somewhere on the spectrum and planned on making adjustments to fit. With what little money they had, after school they went to ToyZone to pick out some toys to help Hannah and quickly found little things that would brighten up her day, like wearing Lex’s backpack or watching movies with Ethan. 

One night whilst Lex and Hannah watched a movie, there was a crash coming from their mom’s bedroom. Lex paused the movie and told Hannah to be silent, which she quickly obeyed. Footsteps echoed down the hall, before a shadow was cast on the floor. Lex didn’t dare to look behind her, knowing who was there. The smell of alcohol made it obvious. 

“What crap are you two watching?” Came a slurred feminine voice. “You’re wasting the electricity, money doesn’t grow on trees, y’know!”

Neither of the sisters spoke up. Hannah clutched Lex’s hand tightly, but stayed as still as possible.

“Turn it off!”

She growled at them when neither moved. 

“I said turn it off!” She repeated. “My house my rules so turn the fucking thing off!”

“Please,” Lex said silently. “It’s almost over and-”

Lex was cut off by a sharp slap across her face. The screen that was lit up colourfully was turned to pitch black in an instant, showing the sister’s faces like a haunting mirror. 

“Don’t say no again.”

Their mother walked off, her footsteps echoing into silence, as Lex held her cheek. Tears began to pool in her eyes until Hannah tugged on her arm gently. Lex dried her eyes and made sure Hannah was okay. 

When she put Hannah to bed that night, she knew she had to get out. The small, sleeping child needed to leave the small town where nobody gave a crap about them or their lives. She deserved so much better than a shitty trailer with a bad mom and no money. Lex would give her the world at the drop of a hat, if only she could. 

“What?” Ethan asked from where him and Lex sat underneath a tree. It was in a back corner of the playground, where nobody went, leaving them alone. They’d found it on the first day of the school, deciding it would be their spot until they left. 

“Hannah doesn’t deserve that place,” Lex told him. “So I’m gonna run away with her.”

“Where are you going?” Ethan asked. He would be lying if the idea of running away seemed intriguing to him, now that his mother had become so much more negative. 

“Dunno,” Lex shrugged. “I was thinking of California. They’ve got beaches there, and it’s easy to become famous or find work. We’d have our own place, with no adults being mean and no one calls us trailer-trash ‘cause we wouldn’t have a trailer. It’d be me and Hannah and we’d have everything we could ever need, living peacefully without a care.”

Whilst Lex had been explaining life in Cali, Ethan had closed his eyes and began imagining it himself. When she stopped, he opened his eyes and turned to Lex with a pleading look. “Let me come too! I promise I’ll help get the money. I can learn how to drive too! I’m good at learning. Just please let me come too!”

“Alright,” Lex agreed. “You me, and Hannah, living in California.”


End file.
